When I was a youth in Idaho I was helping out neighbor milk his cows. One of the cows the milk pail over and spilled
the milk. I kicked the cow in the leg and the cow kicked me in in the leg. My neighbor laughed. He shook with laughter.
I'd never seen him even crack a smile before that time. I thought, "You're a humorist."

The rest, as the man said, is history...

*Iíve never earned money as a short fiction writer so far, but I insist on listing it here on the off chance that I might win one of those made-for-the-Internet fiction contests to which I hopefully submit my short stories.

**Iíve never actually earned money as a humor columnist, but I have received a few coupons for free meals at a good local restaurant.